Off-Campus Studies can help Economics students …

  • Learn first-hand about different economic and political institutions as well as economic issues in other regions of the world
  • Gain awareness of the economics from a different scholarly tradition
  • Improve foreign language skills and cross-cultural communication and problem-solving skills
  • Prepare for an increasingly diverse and international workplace
  • Gain research skills from field studies or work with primary sources

How does a semester or year of OCS help students in Economics prepare for graduate school or various career opportunities?

  • Off-Campus studies can provide students with international, professional and scholarly contacts.
  • Research undertaken off campus can inspire and inform honors thesis research and provide a focus for graduate studies

As a general rule of thumb, the Race and Ethnic Studies Department recommends the following for students who wish to study off campus.

  • First-year students should take any RAES course of interest and meet with an RAES studies adviser.
  • Second-year students should take General Studies 245 Critical Voices and ideally complete the two foundation courses by the end of the second year.  They should also plan to complete their three “Concentration Courses” by the end of their junior year.
  • For Race and Ethnic Studies majors, off-campus study in either the fall or spring semester of their junior year works well.
  • Race and Ethnic Studies students can conduct research to be used in their Senior Thesis while they are studying off-campus, but must take care to consult with faculty at Whitman in order to ensure that IRB approvals are secured (when needed) and to ensure that they will be able to find adequate support for their project (i.e., faculty with the necessary expertise to advise them and access to adequate primary sources) once they return.

Which requirements can Race and Ethnic Studies majors fulfill while off campus?

  • Major elective credit
  • Language requirements for the major
  • A maximum of one major concentration course for the major
  • General Studies distribution credit
  • General degree credit

Major Credit Limitations

  • The maximum number of credits that can be applied to the Race and Ethnic Studies major from off campus studies (including AP credit, IB credit and credits from other U.S. institutions) is 12 credits with the approval of your major adviser.
  • Business courses typically cannot be transferred to Whitman because they are vocational in nature and not considered liberal arts.

Minor Credit Limitations

  • A minimum of three-fifths of the specific course and credit requirements for the minor must be completed in the on-campus program of the college.

What are the types of OCS programs recommended by the Race and Ethnic Studies department?

  • Programs that foster cultural and linguistic immersion.
  • US-based off-campus studies programs may also be suitable.

Which Partner Programs are recommended by the Race and Ethnic Studies department?

  • Programs in which the academic focus complements the student’s RAES concentration

Students interested in Off-Campus Studies should attend an OCS First Step meeting in the fall of their second year, discuss their interests with their major adviser, and schedule an appointment with an OCS adviser.